Erosion of our lands is a serious problem, which often is difficult to visually detect. Established procedures for measuring soil loss most often involve establishment of a set of erosion plots and then measurement of runoff and sediment from one location, at the end of the plot. With greater emphasis on understanding of the erosion processes at discrete points on the landscape, better research equipment is needed which can precisely measure the amount (both depths and mass) of soil lost or sediment deposited. A large (1 ¥ 3 m) laser scanner was developed at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory to provide better measurement of detachment and deposition at points along an erosion plot or a laboratory flume. This apparatus has been used in a variety of applications, including field and laboratory measurement of erosion and deposition depths and mass, determination of rill channel geometry, and bulk density measurements. Testing of the system indicates that the elevation readings obtained are very precise, having an average standard deviation of less than 0.30 mm at the optimal scan speed.